Social Psychology Research

Abstract Introduction: Adolescence is a dynamic phase marked by emotional and behavioral shifts, heightening vulnerability to external influences, increasing engagement with cyberspace and the Internet, and potentially diminishing academic performance. This study sought to examine the relationship between academic burnout and Internet addiction, with the conformity communication pattern serving as a mediator among high school students. 
Method: This study adopted a descriptive approach, utilizing a correlational design and structural equation modeling (SEM). The research population consisted of high school students in Marivan city during the 2022-2023 academic year, from which 940 students were selected via multistage cluster random sampling. Data were gathered using the Academic Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1981), the Internet Addiction Inventory (Young, 1998), and the Family Communication Patterns Questionnaire (Fitzpatrick & Ritchie, 1994). Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and structural equation modeling. 
Results: The analysis confirmed that the proposed model exhibited a satisfactory fit. Academic burnout demonstrated a significant positive correlation with Internet addiction and a significant negative correlation with the conformity communication pattern (p<0.05). Additionally, the conformity communication pattern showed a significant negative association with Internet addiction (p<0.05). The findings further substantiated the significant mediating role of the conformity communication pattern in the relationship between academic burnout and Internet addiction. 
Conclusion: These results underscore the pivotal mediating influence of the conformity communication pattern in linking academic burnout to Internet addiction. Based on these insights, it is advisable to develop interventions focused on enhancing family communication patterns and regulating adolescents’ Internet usage to mitigate these effects.